Ilia Malinin could have been thrown away by a fall during his opening jump – the quad axel – during the Grand Prix final.
Then again, no one else in the world is even trying.
So instead, the 19-year-old American wiped away the mistake, put together a near-flawless free skate the rest of the way and easily defeated Japanese rival Shoma Uno to win the gold medal on Saturday at the National Indoor Stadium in Beijing . Malinin finished with a career-best 314.66 points, the sixth-highest men's total in history under the current scoring system.
Uno made a mistake on a triple axel and finished with 297.34 points. Yuma Kagiyama of Japan came third.
“I just feel great. I just have no words for what just happened,” said Malinin, who won the title 24 years after his mother, Tatiana Malinina, won the Grand Prix final representing Uzbekistan in St. Petersburg, Russia.
“I'm still trying to express and think about what just happened,” Malinin said. “It's unbelievable for me. I've never felt like this before.”
Malinin capped off a top day for the US after Madison Chock and Evan Bates won the ice dance for the first time.
On the women's side, two-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto won her first Grand Prix final with a free skate set to music by Lauryn Hill. She was indeed 'Feeling Good' after scoring 225.70 points, easily edging out runner-up Loena Hendrickx of Belgium and Japanese compatriot Hana Yoshida, who overtook Nina Pinzarrone for bronze.
Sakamoto opened with her now signature double axel before performing seven triple jumps, including a triple flip-triple toe loop combination and a triple loop-triple toe loop to complete her program and the title.
“This year I had a good start with the Grand Prix,” said Sakamoto, “so I really wanted to continue like this. Being able to take first place everywhere until the Finals became a strength for me, I think. So I think this will give me confidence in the future.”
Sakamoto had finished off the podium in two previous disappointing Grand Prix finals.
Chock and Bates knew something about disappointment. The American ice dancers finished second in 2015 and settled for three more silver medals over the years, always putting together programs that left audiences breathless but weren't quite good enough for gold. That includes last year, when Chock and Bates finished second behind their Canadian rivals, Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier.
The reigning world champion finished with 221.61 points on Saturday, while Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri of Italy finished second with 215.51. Gilles and Poirier, the world bronze medalists, finished third at 213.58.
“We've been to seven finals, but this feels really special,” Chock said. “The fact that we are here with our teammates obviously makes it even more fun. We enjoy each other's company immensely. We still have many goals for ourselves, both on and off the ice.”
This will probably include the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
“We are so honored to compete here,” Bates said. “We are so happy with where we are at this point in the season.”
While Chock and Bates have been coy about their Olympic plans, 19-year-old Malinin has made it clear his focus is on the Milan-Cortina Games. And considering he's already at the top of the skating world, his chances of following Nathan Chen and giving the U.S. back-to-back champions in two years seem good.
Skating to the music of the HBO hit Succession, Malinin looked smooth and confident after his fall on the opening quad axel, a jump he performed in the short program for the first time in skating history. The bronze medalist from a year ago landed an effortless quad lutz, the second-toughest jump in the sport, and four more quads during the remainder of his free skate Saturday.
His technical score was so far ahead of the rest of the competition that Malinin could have afforded several mistakes.
“I was actually just in such a good mood to skate,” he said afterward. “I knew I could rely on my training and all the hours I put in.”